SECRET LIFE OF PETS CAT MOVIE
SECRET LIFE OF PETS CAT WINDOWS

But the roots of these problems are almost certainly to be found in the living conditions of our pets. Since at least a quarter of all dogs and a third of all cats never see a veterinarian during their lifetime, pathological levels of anxiety are probably much higher than reported.Įmotional suffering often manifests in “behavioral problems” which are promptly blamed on the pets themselves. At least 40% of dogs in US homes are thought to suffer from anxiety, and these are just the cases that have been identified by veterinarians. Looking at several objective measures, however, we can surmise that the secret lives of our pets are often boring, frustrating and lonely. GoPro videos notwithstanding, our animals’ lives when we leave them home are mostly invisible to us. He is anxiously alert all day, ears pricked for the slightest sound. What I find most striking about the video is that the dog doesn’t sleep. The dog howls, he runs around the house, looking into every crevice to see if his human might be there. You can almost feel the dog’s desperation as his owner shuts the door. A man straps a GoPro to his dog to capture what a day for him is like on his own. What does the secret life of pets look like from the animals’ point of view?Ī YouTube video called “What my dog does when I leave” has several million views, probably because it taps into a curiosity and concern many of us share. The pet industry eagerly fuels this hobby and rakes in billions of dollars each year on the sale of pet animals and their paraphernalia. The popularity of keeping pets is at an all-time high, and the number of pet animals living in our homes has mushroomed over the past four decades such that pets now outnumber people. And some reflection is in order, since the wellbeing of millions of animals is at stake.

SECRET LIFE OF PETS CAT MOVIE

But in addition to providing some clean summer fun, the movie offers an opportunity for serious reflection upon this most bizarre human cultural ritual. The Secret Life of Pets was written to entertain, not to provide social commentary on the state of pet-keeping in America. The Secret Life of Pets: what really happens when owners leave for the day? Photograph: Universal Next, they check whether there is any cat food to be stolen. Loaves of bread, bags of cookies, pretzels – all are fair game. First they counter surf, to see if we’ve been neglectful enough to leave anything within reach. The evidence of their “work” is usually all over the kitchen floor, and when I forget something and have to run back in after leaving I often catch them in flagrante delicto.

But what really happens when owners leave for the day? I happen to know quite well what my two dogs do for the first 15 minutes. It is a story repeated from home to home across the country: the door slams and the pet is left alone. They have parties, with butt-sniffing and bowls of biscuits they rock out to heavy metal music and, on the day in question, have wild and unexpected adventures involving deranged alley cats, dog catchers, and the Revolutionary Army of Flushed Pets who are plotting revenge against the humans who abandoned them.

SECRET LIFE OF PETS CAT WINDOWS

They open cage doors, climb through windows and gather in apartments and on sidewalks. For a split second, the pets appear bereft and lonely, but they quickly shake it off and the fun begins.

Secret life of pets cat